Economic Theory - General & Miscellaneous, Economics - General & Miscellaneous, Evolution

The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home

Name: The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home
Author: Dan Ariely
ISBN: 9780061995040

by Dan Ariely

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Overview

How can large bonuses sometimes make CEOs less productive?
Why is revenge so important to us?
How can confusing directions actually help us?
Why is there a difference between what we think will make us happy and what really makes us happy?

In his groundbreaking book, Predictably Irrational, social scientist Dan Ariely revealed the multiple biases that lead us to make unwise decisions. Now, in The Upside of Irrationality, he exposes the surprising negative and positive effects irrationality can have on our lives. Focusing on our behaviors at work and in relationships, he offers new insights and eye-opening truths about what really motivates us on the job, how one unwise action can become a long-term bad habit, how we learn to love the ones we’re with, and more. The Upside of Irrationality will change the way we see ourselves at work and at home—and cast our irrational behaviors in a more nuanced light.

Synopsis

The provocative follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Predictably Irrational

Why can large bonuses make CEOs less productive?
How can confusing directions actually help us?
Why is revenge so important to us?
Why is there such a big difference between what we think will make us happy and what really makes us happy?

In his groundbreaking book Predictably Irrational, social scientist Dan Ariely revealed the multiple biases that lead us into making unwise decisions. Now, in The Upside of Irrationality, he exposes the surprising negative and positive effects irrationality can have on our lives. Focusing on our behaviors at work and in relationships, he offers new insights and eye-opening truths about what really motivates us on the job, how one unwise action can become a long-term habit, how we learn to love the ones we're with, and more.

Drawing on the same experimental methods that made Predictably Irrational one of the most talked-about bestsellers of the past few years, Ariely uses data from his own original and entertaining experiments to draw arresting conclusions about how-and why-we behave the way we do. From our office attitudes, to our romantic relationships, to our search for purpose in life, Ariely explains how to break through our negative patterns of thought and behavior to make better decisions. The Upside of Irrationality will change the way we see ourselves at work and at home-and cast our irrational behaviors in a more nuanced light.

The New York Times - Kyla Dunn

As in his previous book, the best-selling Predictably Irrational, the experiments Ariely describes generate entertaining and often counterintuitive insights…deciding how to apply [these] insights is a pleasure that lingers long after the book is finished.

About the Author, Dan Ariely

Dan Ariely is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University, with appointments at the Fuqua School of Business, the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, and the Department of Economics. He is also the founder of the Center for Advanced Hindsight and a visiting professor at MIT's Media Lab. Over the years he has won numerous scientific awards. Dan wrote this book while he was a fellow at the Institute for Advance Study at Princeton.

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Editorials

Kyla Dunn

Publishers Weekly

Arielly examines the powerful sway that irrational motivations and urges have on our personal and professional lives. His discussion mixes both his personal experiences and a variety of research, including many experiments performed by him and colleagues. With his crisp English accent and assertive delivery, Simon Jones can be wonderful to listen to for much of the book. However, his own personality is so overpowering that it becomes difficult to remember that the conclusions are the author's--not the reader's. The difficulty to discern the authorial voice behind the narrator's is made more problematic as a creeping arrogance creeps into Jones's reading that the writer clearly did not intend. A Harper hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 12). (June)

Kirkus Reviews

The follow-up to the author's bestselling Predictably Irrational (2008). In his previous book, Ariely (Behavioral Economics/Duke Univ.) discussed how the human tendency toward irrational decision-making can lead to undesirable outcomes. Here he addresses similar ideas but turns them on their head. In some cases, he explains, the irrational course of action can actually be the best way to go. The book is divided into two sections addressing the ways people "defy logic" at work and at home, respectively, featuring descriptions of behavioral experiments Ariely and his colleagues have performed. Many of the results are surprising. Logic would suggest, for example, that taking breaks during a boring or unpleasant task would be beneficial. Not so, writes the author, whose experiments indicated that taking breaks actually makes it harder to adapt to a task, making it more difficult. In another experiment, he examined why people are more likely to give to charities when they feel an emotional connection to them, and found that when people think rationally about charities, they tend to give much less. Nearly all of Ariely's experiments are convincing, and his amiable tone is often charming. He also brings a welcome personal aspect to the book, drawing on the story of a tragedy from his youth. When he was a teenager in the Israeli Defense Forces, an accidental discharge of a magnesium flare left him with severe burns on 70 percent of his body. His recovery-which also involved a contraction of hepatitis from a blood transfusion-was long and grueling, but it gave him some keen insights into human behavior. He writes perceptively about his excruciating experience to effectively back up various behavioral concepts-such as why some victims of accidents develop a heightened tolerance for pain, while terminal cancer victims do not. Consistently sharp.